Monday,

September 5

Did you know…

Labor was first celebrated in the US on September 5, 1882. The first celebration was observed only in New York City with a parade of about 10,000 workers. The idea spread quickly and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland declared Labor Day a national holiday.

Tuesday,

September 6

• Who are you as a student? As a writer?
   

• Welcome and introductions
• Introduction to the class
• Getting to know you –About Me activity

• Revise your About Meparagraphs. Don’t forget to bring one image to class Wednesday that works as a visual metaphor for who you are as a writer.
• Signed syllabus and Writer's Notebook DUE FRIDAY.
• Email bywardhhs@gmail.com  FRIDAY for 1 point of extra credit.
• Summer Reading Quiz MONDAY

Wednesday,September 7

• Revision – writing is rewriting

• Review syllabus, writer’s notebook, and binder requirements 

• Revise your About Me page using this rubric. DUE THURSDAY.
• Signed syllabus and Writer's Notebook DUE MONDAY.
• Review your summer reading ofOf Beetles and Angels for the summer reading quiz on MONDAY. Also check out the resources on the Summer Reading web page to help you review.

Thursday,

September 8th

• International Literacy Day

• School closed due to power outages and flooding

• Scheduled updated 9/8 

Friday,

September 9th

• What is style?

• Writer’s Notebook: Describe your writing style?
• What is style?
• Revising our About Me paragraphs for an audience. How does an audience change how you write?
• Sharing About Me pages
• Review of summer reading

• Have your binder for Monday!
• Extra Credit Opportunities:Attend a cultural event
• Complete the summer reading review graphic organizer to help you review for the summer reading quiz on MONDAY

Monday,

September 12th

• Summer Reading Test

• Writer’s Notebook: And so it begins…
• Binder check 
• Summer Reading Test
• Analyzing writer’s style in our summer reading.
• Finish About.Mepages TODAY.

• Analyze the writing style of Of Beetles and Angels The directions and links for this assignment can be found HERE. DUE TUESDAY.

• Understanding the impact of style

• Writer's Notebook: Memory speaks
• Organizing our binders
• Analyzing style in our summer reading book 

• Considering Style: Now that we've analyzed our summer reading author's writing style, let's pull our ideas together. Begin to brainstorm your response using this graphic organizer for WEDNESDAY.

• Writing text-rooted responses

• Writer's Notebook
• Literary Term Review 
• Understanding the impact of choice. Writing style is all about choices made by the author.    
• Crafting our critiques of our summer reading memoir 

• You've finished the brainstorming section of your Analysis of Style handout, and now it is time to start drafting.  Use your brainstorm and the outline provided on the last page of your handout to help you draft your paragraph.  Come to class THURSDAY with a draft started. Remember to review how this assignment will be graded. Paragraphs DUE THURSDAY. 

• Crafting a well-supported, analytical piece of writing using evidence from the text

• Writer's Notebook: What is good writing?
• Revising our style analysis paragraphs.
• Getting the most out of our online spaces 

• Post your response to our summer reading as a blog on wardsworld.com. Remember to review how this assignment will be graded. Paragraphs DUE FRIDAY.  

• Establishing goals for our writing 

• Writer's Notebook: A belief passed down
• Assessing our own writing style.
• Establishing writing goals. 
• Introduction to SSR reading and book talks 

• Begin to think about which book you would like to read for SSR. 

Monday,

September 19th

Talk Like A Pirate Day!

• Understanding the differences between the various modes of writing.
  

• Writer’s Notebook: I believe...
• What are personal essays? Take a listen to this example!
• Types of Writing
• SSR Groups

• Review your SSR handout and decide on a non-western memoir to read.  Signed approval from due WEDNESDAY.
   

Tuesday, September 20th

Extended homeroom (shortened classes) for 4Sight testing  

• Powerful writing - writing about our core beliefs

• Writer's Notebook: Sculpting something of significance
• Writing Goals 
• SSR Book Talk
• What do you believe? Stand on the Line activity

• Signed SSR Approval Form for WEDNESDAY.
• Finish the front side of your What Do You Think handout. Write a response to the statement you believe most strongly in. DUE WEDNESDAY.

Wednesday,September 21st

Back to School Night at 7pm - extra credit if your parents attend!

• What do you believe? How learning about others helps us better understand ourselves. 

• Writer's Notebook
• Learning from examples - understanding the content and stylistic choices of the personal essay.
• This I Believe assignment and drafting. 

• Don't forget that you have a binder and Writer's Notebook check tomorrow! 
• Finish drafting your response to a lesson that you've learned about life (see backside of What Do You Think handout). Write 1-2 paragraphs on a separate sheet of paper on a lesson about life that you've learned. DUE THURSDAY.

Thursday, September 22nd

Shubun no Hi / Autumnal Equinox (Japan) and

World Car-Free Day

• Understanding the personal essay
  

• Writer's Notebook 
• Binder and Writers Notebook check
• Analyzing voice and style in personal essays.
• Time to revise your This I Believe essays!

• Bring your SSR book to class with you FRIDAY. Remember, it is extra credit if you have your own copy of your book.
• This I Believe: Revise your personal essay about a core belief.DUE MONDAY.

• Understanding how glossing might help us grow as both readers and writers

• Writer's Notebook:
• SSR Reading Time and Reflection
• How do we interpret what we read? How might glossing help us as both readers and writers?
• Peer revision

• This I Believe: Revise your personal essay about a core belief. DUE MONDAY. 

Monday,

Sept. 26^th

• Understanding how glossing might help us grow as both readers and writers
  

• Writer’s Notebook: finding your voice
• SSR Time
• This I Believe: Take time in class to peer revise before turning in your first draft. Use principles of glossing to help you comment on another writer's essay.

Tuesday,Sept. 27^th 

• Introducing African literature

• Writer's Notebook
• SSR Time 
• Introduction to the poetry of Africa: Using what we know about interpretation, glossing, and critical reading to understand difficult texts.
• Understanding apartheid through poetry - poems of South Africa
• Vocabulary for African poems

• This I Believe: Revise your essay.  Post your 2nd copy as a blog to our website for FRIDAY.
• EXTRA CREDIT: Use up to 3 of our new vocabulary words in a sentence outside of school or in another class, have a parent or teacher sign-off on your sentence, and earn up to 3 points of extra credit.

Wednesday, Sept. 28^th

§  Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)

§  Confucius' Birthday (Taiwan)

• What’s the difference between revision and editing?

• Writer's Notebook: Looking at the verbs in our writing.
• SSR Time 
• This I Believe: Using feedback on initial drafts and our Writing Goals to guide the revision process.
• The revision process. Publishing our final copy as a blog post.
• Commenting on peer blog posts.
• Completing the sentence grid

• This I Believe: Revise your essay using the suggestions you received from the peer revision and using the grading rubric.  You will turn in a final copy of your essay as a blog post.  You will need to come to class FRIDAYwith your essay already posted to our blog. 

Thursday,Sept. 29^th

§  Michaelmas (United Kingdom)

• No School!

• Bring your SSR book to class with you FRIDAY. Remember, it is extra credit if you have your own copy of your book.

Friday,Sept. 30^th

• Understanding apartheid

• Writer's Notebook:
• SSR Reading Time and Reflection
• Understanding apartheid - background on The Power of One
• Vocabulary for chapters 1-3 (new extra credit words!)

• This I Believe: Revise your essay and bring to FINAL COPY. Use the suggestions from drafts, the blog, from the peer revision, the sentence grid, and using the grading rubric.  Come to class MONDAY with your printed first draft with teacher and peer comments, a completed sentence grid sheet, and any other drafts and brainstorms as well as your updated Writing Goals, and a printed copy of your final essay. ALL PARTS OF THE THIS I BELIEVE PROJECT ARE DUE MONDAY.  

Monday,

Sept. 26^th

• Understanding how glossing might help us grow as both readers and writers
  

• Writer’s Notebook: finding your voice
• SSR Time
• This I Believe: Take time in class to peer revise before turning in your first draft. Use principles of glossing to help you comment on another writer's essay.

Tuesday,Sept. 27^th 

• Introducing African literature

• Writer's Notebook
• SSR Time 
• Introduction to the poetry of Africa: Using what we know about interpretation, glossing, and critical reading to understand difficult texts.
• Understanding apartheid through poetry - poems of South Africa
• Vocabulary for African poems

• This I Believe: Revise your essay.  Post your 2nd copy as a blog to our website for FRIDAY.
• EXTRA CREDIT: Use up to 3 of our new vocabulary words in a sentence outside of school or in another class, have a parent or teacher sign-off on your sentence, and earn up to 3 points of extra credit.

Wednesday, Sept. 28^th

§  Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)

§  Confucius' Birthday (Taiwan)

• What’s the difference between revision and editing?

• Writer's Notebook: Looking at the verbs in our writing.
• SSR Time 
• This I Believe: Using feedback on initial drafts and our Writing Goals to guide the revision process.
• The revision process. Publishing our final copy as a blog post.
• Commenting on peer blog posts.
• Completing the sentence grid

• This I Believe: Revise your essay using the suggestions you received from the peer revision and using the grading rubric.  You will turn in a final copy of your essay as a blog post.  You will need to come to class FRIDAYwith your essay already posted to our blog. 

Thursday,Sept. 29^th

§  Michaelmas (United Kingdom)

• No School!

• Bring your SSR book to class with you FRIDAY. Remember, it is extra credit if you have your own copy of your book.

Friday,Sept. 30^th

• Understanding apartheid

• Writer's Notebook:
• SSR Reading Time and Reflection
• Understanding apartheid - background on The Power of One
• Vocabulary for chapters 1-3 (new extra credit words!)

• This I Believe: Revise your essay and bring to FINAL COPY. Use the suggestions from drafts, the blog, from the peer revision, the sentence grid, and using the grading rubric.  Come to class MONDAY with your printed first draft with teacher and peer comments, a completed sentence grid sheet, and any other drafts and brainstorms as well as your updated Writing Goals, and a printed copy of your final essay. ALL PARTS OF THE THIS I BELIEVE PROJECT ARE DUE MONDAY.